Jamaican Government Calls in Defence Force to Control Landfill Fire

By: - February 10th, 2012

Above: Local Government Minister Noel Arscott, Spanish Town Mayor Owen Palmer and Minister of State Colin Fagan (JIS Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Jamaica’s Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management has called in the Jamaica Defence Force to help control the ongoing fire at the Riverton Landfill.

The fire, which has been burning for four days, has spread across Kingston.

According to Noel Arscott, Minister of Local Government and Community Development, the fire should be tamed in another two to three days.

Given the nature of the blaze, however, controlling it has proven difficult, as debris is scattered all over the landfill and the wind is spreading the flames in all directions.

“If we’re not able to control it in seven days and it spreads to where we have thousands of tires stored, then we would have a major problem on our hands,” Arscott said.

The cost of controlling the fire could be as high as $700,000, according to Arscott.

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